Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Leads for Fourth Weekend With $21 Million as ‘Primate’ Debuts to $11 Million

James Cameron is helping cinemas stay busy this new year, as his film "Avatar: Fire and Ash" leads the box office for the fourth straight weekend. This third adventure with the Na'vi characters made $21.3 million from 3,700 theaters over the weekend, bringing its total to $342.6 million in the US and $1.23 billion worldwide.

These sales were double what the next biggest movies made, like the new film "Primate" and the holiday movie "The Housemaid."

 Both are close in second place, each expected to make around $11 million over the weekend. The final numbers will be known on Monday.

"Primate" opened with $11.3 million from 2,964 theaters, and earned $2.1 million internationally, giving it a global start of $13.4 million.

 The film, which had a $21 million budget, got a "B-" rating from CinemaScore, and follows a group of friends on a tropical vacation that goes wrong when a chimpanzee becomes violent. The film is being distributed by Paramount, the first under its deal with 18Hz, managed by Walter Hamada, former head of DC Films.

Lionsgate’s "The Housemaid," which is likely to take third place with $11.2 million, has continued to attract big crowds.

 After four weekends, the R-rated film has made $94.15 million in North America and $192 million worldwide. That’s a great result, especially since the movie cost just $35 million to make.

"Zootopia 2" dropped to fourth place with $10.1 million in its seventh weekend.

 The animated sequel has been a big hit, with $378.8 million in the US and $1.65 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film from Walt Disney Animation.

Another new film, "Greenland 2: Migration" with Gerard Butler, came in fifth with $8.5 million from 2,710 theaters.

 The sequel was produced for $90 million by STX, and Lionsgate bought the US rights for $10 million. The film follows a family searching for a new home after a comet strikes and destroys most of the planet. It earned a "B-" grade on CinemaScore.

David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research says the opening was a flat start, but he adds that international numbers and sales through rental and streaming could be strong because Gerard Butler is a popular action star.

" Marty Supreme," from A24, came in sixth with $7.3 million, down about 38% from the previous weekend.

 The film, starring Timothee Chalamet, has earned $70 million in the US and $84 million worldwide so far. With a $70 million budget, it needs to keep doing well to justify the cost. However, awards buzz, including Chalamet's recent win at Critics Choice and a Golden Globe nomination, helps make the investment worthwhile.

Searchlight's "Is This Thing On?"

 made $2.3 million, expanding to 1,475 theaters, and has earned $3.4 million overall.

Neon's "No Other Choice," a dark comedy directed by Park Chan-wook, made $1.3 million from just 147 theaters, bringing its total to $3.4 million in limited release.

Angel Studios launched "I Was a Stranger" with $1.2 million from 1,400 theaters, placing it at No. 15 on the domestic chart.

 The film, with a $6 million budget, tells the story of a Syrian family in Aleppo after a tragedy.

So far, the box office is slightly ahead of 2025.

 Even though January is usually slow for theaters, this month might be more active than expected with big movies like Sony's apocalyptic thriller "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," the anime "All You Need Is Kill," Amazon MGM's sci-fi adventure "Mercy" with Chris Pratt, Sam Raimi's survival horror film "Send Help," and Jason Statham's action film "Shelter."

David A. Gross says the goal is to have a better start to the year than in 2025 and 2024.

 He believes that "All You Need Is Kill," "Mercy," "Send Help," and "Shelter" will need to do very well to reach pre-pandemic box office levels.